Borders have existed since the Neolithic Age, i.e. for around 8,000 years. At that time, the first people came up with the idea of clearing a piece of land of stones and weeds and planting a field on it. The field was limited by a ditch, a hedge or stones.
They have also marked the first boundaries to protect their fields.
Because stones are more durable and easier to maintain than hedges, they soon became a common feature
Marking larger areas such as corridors and markers.
The landmarks are numbered consecutively. The line on the top indicates the boundary. For greater security, there are so-called witness stones under the boundary stones.
The illegal moving of such boundary stones was tantamount to theft and was accordingly severely punished. The position of the boundary stones was regularly checked by means of a border inspection, also known as a border walk, Schnadegang, corridor walk.
Many boundary stones have been preserved and the corresponding field names can tell us stories from the past.
Sources:
Exhibition 'Rutesheim's way through time', 2017
Rutesheim: Heimatbuch, 1970
Wikipedia